


The Face Off

by chuplayswithfire



Category: The LEGO Movie (2014)
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Acid Burns, Eye Trauma, Gen, Humiliation, M/M, Psychological Torture, Torture, graphic description of violence, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-11-02
Packaged: 2018-02-23 14:24:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2550830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chuplayswithfire/pseuds/chuplayswithfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part novelization part headcanon, this is my imagining of how the scene between Good Cop/Bad Cop and Lord Business would go with humanized characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Face Off

**Author's Note:**

> A loooot of thanks goes to plotdesigner, who helped me think up ideas and encouraged me with this fic, you are awesome! Also thanks to trekual-innuendos who’s headcanons and discussions about Bad Business helped shape a lot of the interactions.   
> Disclaimer, the early part of this fic uses lines directly from the film. Obviously those lines do not belong to me and neither does The Lego Movie or the characters. Also my tensing may not be the best.
> 
> This includes graphic depictions of violence, partially born from my own curiosit. After all, what would it take to erase a person?
> 
> This is in the first person perspective, which I’ve rarely used. As such, there is some mixing of thoughts/perceptions with described events.
> 
> Normal text - Bad Cop’s POV  
> Italics - Good Cop’s POV

He’s wearing the Serious Business suit, this isn’t good, this isn’t going to be good at all – the suit’s for intimidation, for threats and violence and punishment and with every step forward I step back, gaze flicking between my lord’s face and those dangerous, powerful boots.

“Bad Cop.”

Just the sound of his voice makes me shiver and not in the way it usually does. I’m nervous, tense because this isn’t just a failure, man upstairs no, we let the  _Special_ get away.  _I_ let the Special get away, the one person who could ruin all of Lord Business’ plans and I was too darned incompetent to keep hold of him.

He’s going to punish me and I deserve it but I still can’t stop myself from trying to explain. Good Cop is in the back of our mind, protesting, saying it was both our faults, that he should have done something, but that doesn’t matter, because  _I’m_ the one he trusted with this, I should have made sure he was dead.

“Lord Business, I know the Special got away but-” Is my voice shaking? It is. How pathetic, I need to control myself.

“Don’t be so serious! Where’s the other guy?” The question is light, his voice almost friendly but I’d have to be a complete idiot to miss the anger in his voice, the fact that it’s a command. I close my eyes for a second and-

_And I open them with a nervous laugh, flipping up the shade to our glasses, not that Lord Business needs the visual cue. He can tell who’s in control, he’s_ always  _been able to tell._

_“Hee hee hey,” I can’t help but giggle, it’s a nervous tick I’ve never managed to get rid of; it keeps people off balance and underestimating me but now, now it’s real and this weakness is the last thing I need to show but I can’t help it. I wave and my smile is obviously forced._

_I’m nervous, but for completely different reasons than Bad Cop. Lord Business has never cared for me like he does Bad Cop and never quite respected me or my methods as much either. He’s got to be furious with me, much more than he’d be with Bad Cop._

_“Hey, hey buddy, missed_ you. _”_

_I blink at him. He’s lying, he’s got to be, but Bad Cop insists that Lord Business wouldn’t lie to us and we don’t have time to argue it out because he’s moving again and we’re in the way._

_“Awww, did you really?” I ask, dodging those over-large feet, trying not to be trampled. I’ve seen that happen and it’s never pretty. I’m positive he knows I’m nervous and I know Bad Cop wants to take over, offer himself up for punishment but that’s not going to help, he hasn’t asked for Bad Cop yet, the presumption might just make him angrier._

_“Did I ever show you my relic collection?”_

_“Nope, don’ think you have,” ….That’s not what I was expecting, and the answers out of my mouth before I can think on whether it’s a wise one. I keep following, glancing cautiously about._

_I’ve been in the relic room of course but I’ve never really… looked at any of this stuff. It’s all odds and ends, remnants of things from some other era, things Lord Business keeps close and doesn’t usually let people see._

_“Nobody knows where this stuff comes from,” he says, snatching up something large and tan. It looks odd, sort of sticky in the light and as he turns towards me with it I take an unconscious step back. Not fast enough._

_“This one, is the Cloak of Band A’id,” he says with a vicious grin and Bad Cop’s scratching at our mental wall, wanting control. He doesn’t like the look of that thing either and he knows that particular grin well. “I hear it’s super painful to take off, you wanna try it on?” How can he even ask that with such a happy grin, like a kid in a darned toy store._

_“Well, ah-,“ The world goes fuzzy for a minute._

“No.” I don’t bother to flip the sunglasses down, Lord Business knows it’s me. I just keep eyeing the relic and that smile, fighting the urge to say yes. Not that I want pain – not  _now_ at least – but it’s rare to see Lord Business look so genuinely thrilled outside the bedroom and something in me aches to give him whatever he wants. Good Cop gives me the mental equivalent of a kick in the shins and I hurry to add, “But thank ye.”

There’s a hint of disappointment but mostly that same anger in his eyes, and a bit of delight at the fear I can’t quite hide. Lord Business turns and throws the Cloak off towards his robots and I feel Good Cop wince in sympathy when one of them catches the thing with their face.

“We’ve done some good work over the years Bad Cop! Capturing all those Master Builders and torturing them and what not,” he must be getting to the point now, he’s acting more animated. Tension I hadn’t even realized had fallen away climbs back into my shoulders. But, maybe this could go well. It’s hard to tell, Lord Business can be more volatile than  _I_ am.

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Although… you did let the Piece of Resistance go,” he’s getting taller, he’s getting closer, that’s not good, that’s not  _good_ , “The one thing that could ruin my plans, the one thing,” He’s grinning and it’s not a happy expression. He laughs a little. “The one thing that I asked you to take care of!”

Good Cop protests that in the back of our mind, says we’ve done everything else right, captured everyone we could get a hold of, tortured every scrap of information from them and sent his enemies scurrying and hiding like rats, but I silence him, it’s not the time, and Lord Business is right, we failed him, I failed him, it doesn’t matter what we did right it matters that we screwed this up.

I swallow nervously as Lord Business brings himself down to a more normal height, slapping a hand on my shoulder and I bite back a wince.

“That’s super frustrating! And it makes me just want to pick up –“ Arms come out of the suit, fast ones and he’s got me in the air before I can do more than send the ground an anxious glance. “Whoever’s standing closest to me and just  ** _throw them_** ,” We’re smashed against the wall with a harsh thud that leaves the window panes shaking and oh please don’t let it break, please don’t. “Through this window  ** _and out_**  into the infinite  ** _Abyss. Of. NOTHINGNESS_**.” Another slam and another and another and our glasses shatter under the force, the tinkling of glass mixing into the sound of our body being thrown against the window, small scratches gouged into our face by the glass, and our nose is bleeding, when did that happen? He shoves me against the glass once more, leaves us staring down into the awful, nauseating sight of the Abyss swirling far beneath the tower.

I’m struggling for breath, the wind knocked out of me, but I’m very, very aware of my surroundings and his next words. “Oh I want to do it so bad,” he half-snarls, half-sighs, sadistic desire in his voice as he slams me up against the wall a last time and I give up on drawing a full breath, just managing to console him.

“I know ye do, Sir, but, please, please don’t.” I can’t turn my head to look at him from this angle, can only stare into the Abyss and hope it’s not the last thing I see, but apparently he’s feeling merciful today, because he just tosses me aside instead of through the glass.

It hurts and I hear something in my shoulder crack, but I’m alive and I’m very, very aware I might not have been. I’m grateful and shaking just a little.

“And it’s not just you Bad Cop, that keeps messing up my plans,” That hurts. I’m trying Sir, we’ve been trying, we’re doing our best but it’s just… not good enough. I’m not good enough, if I were we wouldn’t be in this mess.  “People everywhere are always messing with my stuff!”

I manage to get back to my feet, ignore my aching shoulder and face and everything else to watch the security reel he’s pulled up. It’s the Special and that, that Master Builder who ruined everything by breaking the Special out.

“But I have a way to fix that.”

My glasses are broken, but I reach up to fix them anyway, habit outweighing common sense. There’s a mechanical whir and the screen changes, shows the robots with a case of some sort and Good Cop’s whispering about the Kragle. We’ve never seen it, not in all our years serving Lord Business. It’s his prize and he keeps it locked up tight, until now at least. Whatever he’s been planning to do with it, the plans must be close to completion.

“A way to keep things  _exactly_ the way they are supposed to be.  _Permanently._ ”

I stop looking at the tape at that, to look at him. His face is so… happy. Thrilled, beyond measure, and suddenly I’m even more nervous. I know how much Lord Business hates to have things change without his say so but still – it’s not exactly comforting to see that kind of naked glee.

On the other hand, he’s distracted from his anger for the moment and it’s given me the chance to get my wind back, to push the pain away.

“Behold, the most powerful weapon, of all the relics.  _The **KRAGLE.**_ ”

I gasp and step back, because that’s the reaction he wants, I can tell by that eager, excited tone in his voice but all Good Cop and I can think is…That’s it? That’s the super weapon? It doesn’t look… that impressive to be honest. I can’t help but stare it for a moment, this beaten up looking container that holds my lord’s weapon. I don’t know how it works, or what it does, just that it makes people and things stick. That it will make everything as Lord Business wants; that it will make him… happy, to have the world making sense, permanently.

This weird, overlarge looking thing will be what makes Lord Business happy, for good, and I’ll do anything, anything to make sure it goes well.

“As you can see, they’re loading the Kragle into a big machine upstairs. I call it the, Tentacle Arm Kragle Outside Sprayer…” The thought occurs to me, almost hysterically, that we’ve  _got_ to talk to him about this obsession with tentacle arms. “Or TAKOS. The s is silent.” Never mind. It’s the taco obsession we need to talk about. I might, just might, be losing my sanity.

“So on ‘Taco Tuseday’,” So that’s where he was going with that, I  _knew_ it was odd that he was being so generous, Lord Business doesn’t reward people for just doing what they’re supposed to do, that’s what he _expects_ them to do. “It’s going to spray the Kragle,” Oh, oh no, no, I take it back, it’s impressive looking, it’s horrifying. I take a step back, my eyes wide behind my cracked and broken sunglasses. “Over everything and everyone,” It’s coming at me, it’s coming at me,  _it’s coming, it’s coming-_ I back away from it, but it’s following and Lord Business is just watching, calm, and is this my punishment, is this what my failure has cost, is he going to kill us now?

“With a bunch of super scary nozzles. Like  ** _this_** one!” I can’t run, there’s not enough space and the doors don’t open unless Lord Business wants them too. I turn, arms up to shield my face no matter how much my shoulder protests, biting my lip to try and keep the fear off my face.

“Why don’t I show you?”

More mechanical whirring, and its spinning, coming closer, I can’t fight that thing, it’s too big, “Sir, I don’t, I dinnae know if this is necessary.” I’m amazed my voice is able to stay so steady, come out so clear and almost calm. My mind sure isn’t, Good Cop radiating fear and doubling my own, our stomach knotted and tight, our throat dry and tongue feeling heavy. I deserve it, for failing him, but please, oh please don’t sir.

“Oh! Oh don’t worry, I won’t test it on you,” I start to relax, foolishly. This can’t all be just for a threat, no he’s going to test it on someone but as long as it’s not us, how bad could it be?

**“I’ll test it on your parents.”**

What? My – our parents? What? No, I must have heard wrong. Had to, I had to have heard wrong, how could he mean that? Our parents! They’re just a pair of country cops, they’ve never hurt anyone, he wouldn’t – Lord Business wouldn’t – not over this, I know we messed up, I know the Special’s dangerous, but, but surely he wouldn’t do something like this over  _that_.

But the side doors are opening and the robots are coming in, and the couple they’re guiding can be no one else. I feel my stomach drop and my eyes widen, no, he’s supposed to punish me, I’m the one who’s supposed to get punished!

I’m the one he’s supposed to hurt!

“Hiya son, ‘ow’s it goin’ in the big city?” Me Pa asks as Ma pipes in with a cheerful “Hiii!” As if everything is fine and they’re not about to – they’re not about to suffer for my screw up and I can only just manage to utter a stunned, stupid question, “Mummy? Daddy? What are you doing here?”

I step forward, shaking and hopeless, because this can’t be happening, my boss, my lord – my lover can’t really be planning to test his super weapon on my parents.

“Okay Ma, Pa, I just want you to act naturally. Like you’re, you’re going about your day.”

He is, and they’re going along with it because they don’t know, they don’t  _know_  and I want to yell at them to run and beg Lord Business to stop, but I can’t move, I’m frozen, watching it happen.

I watch as Lord Business directs them and wince as Pa moves out of place, and Lord Business snaps. He’s got a hair trigger temper on the best days and this isn’t the best of days but I’m still frozen, just watching.

Forgiveness for a first offense is rare and for a split second I’ve got some sort of hope that he won’t do this, but Pa moves  _again_ and Lord Business just erupts in rage.

“Pa you just moved and you wrecked it. Just wrecked it! Bad Cop,” I start at the sound of my name, struggling for an impassive expression as I look up.

“You see what I’m talking about?” Unfortunately, I do. Pa just doesn’t understand, can’t see that he needs to just  _listen_ an _d_ obey or he’ll just make it harder for himself. “All I’m asking for is total perfection.”

I know you are Sir, and I swear we’re trying. I want to say the words, but I can’t make my throat work, I can only stare, wordlessly horrified as yet another robot rises from the floor, yanking and posing my parents about as if they were just a pair of toys.

“Hold still you guys,” Lord Business practically purred, looking thrilled before he turned to look at me, a vicious grin on his face. “Then, I just spray them with them the TAKOS.” The machine whirred to life, spraying the immobilizing gel that made the Kragle such a deadly weapon. I took a step back, horrified, and then another.

I didn’t want to just stand and watch this, but there was nothing I could do. Lord Business has declared them guilty of my crimes, they’re going to be punished for my failures and there is – there’s nothing I can do to stop it. Good Cop is protesting in the back of our mind but I can’t focus on him, can’t focus on anything but the sight of our parents stuck to the ground, struggling to move, to comfort each other-

“Does that upset you, Bad Cop?” Lord Business asks me, smiling, always smiling, hard edged of amused cruelty in his voice, he’s not bothering to hide it behind his business façade.

I can’t speak, just take another step back, mumbling something that isn’t quite recognizable as a word.

“Surely, you feel bad for your parents? And you want to help them, don’t you?”

The right answer is no. The right answer is no, they shouldn’t be helped because this is my punishment, helping them says I don’t deserve the punishment and I  _do_ deserve, we screwed up and we deserve this. Lord Business is closer now, not close enough to touch but enough that I smell his cologne and feel his breath against the back of my neck, feel his hand reaching up to stroke my hair, tangle his fingers in the curls.

“We’re okay son, jus’ a little… stuck, is all,” Pa says, trying for a weak smile, a reassuring one and all I can think is that I’m a grown man, I don’t need you to look after me Pa, I needed you to look after yourself!

“Go ahead… Finish the job.” It hurts now, his hands in my hair, his grip suddenly rough.

My body moves before I can even think about, snapping off a salute. “Of course, sir.” It’s an order, it’s got to be done, I’m sorry –

_“No,” I shake my head, horror painted visibly on my face, “I don’t want to!”  
It sounds childish, but I can’t quite get it into words, our head hurts.   
_“You have too,” I snap, struggling to step forward. There’s silence from Lord Business, from our parents, but it doesn’t matter because the mental argument is plenty loud, our mind feels as if it’s splitting.   
 _“I don’t. Want to,” I growl, putting a hand to our aching temples. Please, we don’t have to do this, I don’t want to do this, this isn’t right!  
_ “Would you please be quiet,” About more than just refusal. Stop saying that. If Lord Business commands it then it’s right. His word is law!  
 _No it’s not! “I can’t!”  
_ Yes it is! Shut up, you’re going to make it worse! “You must.” Just accept it.  
 _“But they-“ They’re our parents! This isn’t right!  
_ “Shut it!” It doesn’t matter who they are, they’re just criminals now, just like any other criminal. Shut up and let me do our job!  
 _“It’s not nice,” We’re police officers, remember? We have to uphold the law, they haven’t done anything wrong! Bad Cop look what you’re letting him do to us!  
_ “It’s yer job, man!” Your job is to follow orders.  _Our_  job is to follow order, Lord Business’ orders! I’m just trying to do our job and you’re getting in the way Good Cop! Stand down, there’s nothing you can do! Just give up this nonsense!  
 _Arguing like this hurts, having to struggle and fight my other half for control and dominance – I hate it. We haven’t had to do this since we were kids Bad Cop and we shouldn’t be doing it now! I won’t do this, I can’t! I can’t not some private military force, we’re Police Officers, and we uphold justice! Hurting innocent people, hurting_ our parents _, isn’t part of any kind of justice I can be part of!_

_“I can’t do it! They’re innocent!” I shout, and I feel myself take control. Bad Cop’s still fighting me, still arguing, but I’ve got the upper hand, for better or worse. I can’t do this and I won’t!_

_“Just like I thought, your Good Cop side is making you soft, Bad Cop!” President Business snaps, looking disgusted, and he yanks his hand from our hair. It makes me frown, sadness and determination and a feeling like guilt churning inside. It’s always been my fear that I’d drag Bad Cop down, that I was our weak link, but suddenly it just doesn’t matter that I’m disappointing him. Lord Business is dragging Bad Cop down into a place I refuse to go, a place I won’t let_ him  _go without a fight, even if he doesn’t understand it._

_Even if he_ refuses  _to understand._

_We became cops so that we could uphold justice, protect the weak, not so we could be twisted and manipulated like a toy. This – using the Kragle on our parents, trying to make Bad Cop hurt our parents, it’s just wrong!_

_The only reason any of this is happening is because of a stupid mistake, one we’re already trying to_ fix  _and he’s torturing our parents and he’s hurting us and it’s all so he could Bad Cop some sick, twisted punishment! This isn’t our fault!_

_My thoughts are tumbling over themselves, the pieces of it all sliding into place and I’m not even listening to Lord Business anymore, not listening to Bad Cop either, just hearing it all slide into place._

_He’s wrong, Kragling our parents is wrong, it’s_ wrong  _because they’re_ innocent  _you can’t do these things to innocent people! And if he’s wrong about this what else is he wrong about? Not the Master Builders, they deserve_ everything  _we’ve given they’re_ monsters _, but what if everything else… the instructions, the control, the walls between the worlds, what if it’s all wrong? Just the thought gives me an aching headache as Bad Cop roars more protests in the back of our mind, but I can’t afford to pay attention to him. I’m suddenly aware I can’t even afford to focus on my own thoughts._

_Lord Business never trusted me the way he did Bad Cop, never liked me as much, and I just gave him a good reason to be angry at us. Just confirmed his worst opinions of me and there’s no way he can’t see the anger in my eyes._

_“Well we can’t have that any more! I’m sorry Good Cop,” Liar, don’t lie to my face you- “You can consider this your resignation. You’re just not needed anymore.” How does he expect to get rid of me and keep Bad Cop? We’re a team, you can’t just take one of us and not the other?_

_But I don’t exactly get to follow up on my thought with a verbal response, as the robots lung forward and grab me by the arms, yanking them back. My wounded shoulder lights up with pain at the rough movement and I can feel Bad Cop tear his way to the forefront._

“Sir please, I-I know Good Cop’s weaker ‘an me, but I can get him under control, this won’ happen again- Oof!” I double over in pain as Lord Business draws his fist back, stubborn fury and anger in his eyes.

“Shut up Bad Cop, just  _shut up_ , I don’t want any promises, I don’t want any more  _screw ups_ , because this is too important for me to trust you with, you can’t handle this. You’ve already messed up enough, I’m doing this for your own good! Now  **shut up and bring Good Cop back right now or so help me-!** ”

I flinch back, eyes wide and in that moment Good Cop starts hammering at me, demanding that I let him out. He’s a foolish, idiot traitor but he’s naught but a dope if he thinks anything good could come of that. I snap at him, trying to think of way out of this when one of the robot’s presses something to my side and I feel like there’s fire in my veins, in my flesh, and I can’t  _not_  scream, Tasers aren’t supposed to be set that high -

_“Arghhhh!” I shriek, pain lighting up every nerve as my body tries to seize muscles twitching and spasming from the shocks. They shock dies down almost immediately and Lord Business is smiling, such an awful, awful expression and I’m afraid, suddenly very, very afraid and oh god what is he going to do?_

_He drives his fist into my face, hard enough that if it weren’t for the robots holding me I doubt I’d still be on my feet, and blood drips down my face – if my nose isn’t broken, it’s might as well be. I start struggling, but it’s useless – the robots are strong enough that there’s just no chance I can break free, especially with Bad Cop in the back of our mind, radiating guilt and shame and being about as helpful as brick._

_Over the sound of blood dripping and my own harsh pants I can hear me mum and pa yelling for me, struggling but they’re well and stuck, kragled to the floor as they are. There’s no chance for them to help me and I can’t help them. I can’t even help myself. I’m so bricking useless._

_Lord Business barks an order and the robots start to drag me away, through a doorway I hadn’t even noticed. The room is small, the centerpiece a stool sitting beneath a high bar; the sight sparks shocked recognition from Bad Cop – this is the same room he and Lord Business play their games in._

_I wish I didn’t understand why I was here. I really do. But it’s obvious – he’s going to torture me to punish Bad Cop and he’s doing it_ here _to make the lesson stick. There’s so many memories here – I can’t even imagine what it will do to Bad Cop, having this room associated with torture. Nothing and nowhere is safe is what I’m pretty sure the message is for._

_If it wasn’t happening to me I’d think it was brilliant. Excellent strategy. Keep us off-balance by shoving us in a room full of memories and emotions and just add to that mixing pot. It’s one of the best situations for torture._

My _torture and  the thought makes me feel sick to my stomach again, but the robots just keep dragging me, I don’t think they even noticed I’ve stopped moving. They drag me to the stool and force my hands to stretch up high over my head and force my fingers to clasp the bar. They take the handcuffs from my belt and use them to keep me trapped there, in the center of the room. At Lord Business’ command they leave and shut the door so it’s just the two of us._

_“You know Good Cop, I could have liked you,” He said with a sigh it almost sounds sincere.  “But you just – you just can’t do what you’re told. You should have just done your job-“_

_“You never liked me,” I snap, “You put up with me because I’m a darned_   _good cop and Bad Cop won’t work without me, but you never liked me. Don’t waste my time here if you’re just going to lie.”_

_Pale green eyes were dark with fury and Lord Business stalked forward, clenching his fists. “Oh, the kitten has some claws,” he mocks, “But you’re breaking rule number one: never talk back to your **superiors**!” He concludes the sentence with a solid backhand, knocking my wrecked glasses to the floor. Except he doesn’t stop with just the one strike. There’s another and another and another, and when he finally backs off there’s blood dripping freely from my nose, my lip, and dripping into one eye… I think it’s just one eye. My head hurts. My face hurts._

_“Don’t go underestimating me buddy,” Business chuckles suddenly. “See, I’ve done my research. Oh, I probably can’t get rid of you for good, but I only need you gone long enough that there’s nothing your pathetic soft-heartedness can do to mess up my stuff, including_ my  _cop. And that, it turns out that’s pretty doable.”_

_I don’t like the sound of that._

_I glare, wordlessly telling him to give it his best shot._

What the brick are you doing?!?

“Sir! Please, I know Good Cop’s bein’ unreasonable but I swear, I can control ‘im, I can…” I fall silent at the look he’s giving me, one that strikes a solid cord of fear deep in me. Good Cop is fighting me, demanding to be let out and it’s only making the headache our injuries have caused hurt more. I want him to shut up. Just shut up, shut up, let me handle this, let me be punished and deal with this, let me take care of our screw up.

Lord Business’ eyes narrow, pale green irises practically slits in his rage. “Bad Cop…” he hisses, “Get  ** _out_**! I already told you to stay out of this. Bring that weak disappointment back,  ** _now_**!”

I flinch, instincts at war. I have to protect Good Cop but -!

“Bad Cop…” Lord Business’ sigh is one of annoyance, but the light touch of his hand as he cradles my chin says something else. He pushes my head up, makes me look him in the eye. “Come on buddy, you know I wouldn’t do this to you two if I didn’t have to. But you two messed up! Badly, that one thing I asked you to do and you bricked it all up. That comes with a punishment pal. Unless… you don’t think you did anything wrong.”

I feel like an insect, pinned under his gaze, and I can’t meet his eyes. Of course we – I – did something wrong, we let the Special get away… disappointed Lord Business… we deserve this. But. I can’t help but flex my wrists and when I do I feel steel bite in. The cuffs are too tight, cutting off circulation, but compared to the throbbing in my shoulder that’s nothing. His grip is firm on my chin, comforting.It’s a familiar feeling, all of it, but the context – it’s so different. If I clos e my eyes all I can think of are a hundreds of nights, of hours, in this room, Lord Business’ hands on me, and all the pleasure and anticipation I’d feel about this room. If I open them all I see and hear is my alter getting beaten.

I feel sick to my stomach. “I…S-sir…” I can’t… I don’t want Good Cop to be hurt. Please Sir-!  _Stop trying to protect me!_  Good Cop yells and the sudden noise – thought – it makes my head hurt. Just shut up Good Cop! Let me – let me fix this, I can fix this!

A harsh slap brings me out of my thoughts and I open my eyes, wondering when I closed them. There’s a scowl on his face, disappointed and angry.

“You’re disappointing me, Bad Cop. Do you want to be here with me? Or do you want to be stuck having a  ** _tea party with your mom and dad?!_**  Here I am, doing all this so you have a choice, keeping you alive because I actually  ** _care_** about you and you’re just going to ignore all that, just going to throw it in my face?”

“N-no Sir!” I’m not – that’s not what I want, I know, you’re just trying to help-

_No he’s not! Bad Cop, he’s just trying to help himself, let me out, let me deal with him!  
_ Shut up! I’m the one who deals with this stuff, I’m the one who deals with the pain and the anger, so just shut up and let me clean up your mess.  
 _You’re not even using your brain power! Bad… please, he’s manipulating us, you know the head games are what I’m good at! Let me do this!_  
Shut UP Good!

_It’s no use he just won’t listen to me, he’s wavering but it’s not enough, and I HATE them I’m trying to get him to do what Lord Business wants but darn it, I can’t let him handle this. Lord Business is just TOYING with him and he can’t even see it!_

_…Not that I can blame him. I didn’t even see it. It’s my job to see these things, to do these things, and I didn’t even see it. Lord Business is… good, man upstairs I didn’t even see what he was doing and he’s practically a textbook abuser!_

_Bad Cop please… just let me handle this. You’re just making him angrier, he’s just manipulating you!  
_ He’s trying to help us Good, but that doesn’t mean I can just give you up. I’m the one who deserves the punishment, I messed up.

_If I was in control of our body I think I’d be screaming. Why did I have to figure this out now, why didn’t I see it earlier? Why did I have to have such a stubborn alter?_

_“You see Bad Cop, this is why I want you to listen to me. You should just see yourself, sitting there and shaking like a wimp. I’m just trying to help you pal! Good Cop’s just confusing you, it’s not time for niceness, not anymore. We need to get serious and we just can’t do that with him around.”_

_I can’t see like this, when I’m not the one in control, but there’s nothing wrong with my hearing and I can still feel everything, I’m not giving them privacy like I would have once. I can feel Lord Business’ hand on our face, stroking our cheek and it makes me sick._

_What makes me feel sicker is that I’m going to help him manipulate Bad Cop._

_Bad. Just do what he wants, okay? He’s punishing us, right? Because we messed up. This is what I deserve then, isn’t it? A punishment?_

_I feel him pause at that and it’s enough. I don’t_ need  _to be let out after all, just for him to lose concentration enough for me to get loose._

_The pain hits hard – being out of control makes it fuzzier, hard to feel, leaves you disconnected. Now though, now I’m feeling it all, the aching in my face, the pain every breath causes, concentrated aches at every bruise._

_Lord Business greets me with a knee to my gut and then a punch, never in the same place always in places that hurt but won’t do too much damage. Inviting him to watch our interrogations was a mistake – he’s picked up on our techniques. “N-not even plannin’ to say hi?” I manage to gasp, resisting the urge to curl in on myself. It hurts. I’m not used to pain, Bad was right about that. He usually takes it all, just leaves me the shadows that bleed through._

_“Now why would I do that? I’m a busy man and you’re wasting enough time as it is.” I glare in annoyance, but Bad Cop is flinching in the back of our mind, and it ticks me off._

_“Oh so it’s_ my  _fault you decided to spend your oh-so valuable time torturing me?”_

_I have to remind him of that. Keep reminding him we didn’t MAKE Lord Business do anything._

_“Torture?” He has the nerve to look offended. “Why Good Cop, this isn’t torture. No, no, this is punishment. After all, you – both of you – have been turning in sub-par work. You’ve been practically begging for this and I’m just delivering. Really, it’s for your own good.”_

_His voice is so calm, so reasonable it actually takes me a moment of blank staring to even get my thoughts together. I open my mouth to response and nearly lose my tongue when his fist catches me full in the jaw. I whimper, my jaw hurts like hell and when I spit blood, there’s a tooth there too. Well darn, I think abstractly, there goes my perfect smile._

_It’s almost like the missing tooth inspires Lord Business, because he smiles suddenly and steps back. There’s a faint hope that it’s over but, it dies before I can really feel it. He’s – he’s taking off his belt. I can’t help the flinch, my thoughts jumping to the worst. He notices._

_“Oh don’t flatter yourself, Good Cop. Sniveling wimps aren’t my type.” He sneers, folding the leather in half and starts to circle me. “No, I think you just need a good, old fashioned whipping. Robots! Get his shirt off!”_

_There’s a glint of silver and then two figures move from the door, though I can hardly see them. I wear glasses for a reason, darn it, and the feeling of being half-blind just makes the next few minutes worse, as the pair of bots swarm me, one of them roughly undoing my jacket, the other taking a pair of scissors and cutting my shirt clean off. Shirt gone, jacket ripped right off, and I just sit there, head pounding and half naked, vulnerable._

_The belt snaps across my back and I scream, feeling like he’s just peeled the flesh from my bones. I don’t like pain, I’m not like Bad, who finds it exciting. It just_ hurts  _and he doesn’t stop with just one. There’s another and another, falling until my whole back feels like it’s on fire and I can’t hold back tears. The blows cross my shoulders, my sides, hit the small of my back until it feels like he’s striking down to my bones. My body flinches and jumps and every tense muscle just makes it hurt more. I can’t possibly keep track of time but I slowly become aware that there’s blood dripping and he hasn’t hit me for a minutes._

_Forcing my eyes open, I realize too late that part of the reason he hasn’t hit is because he’s right there. Staring into Lord Business’ eyes, I can’t help but jump backwards. Too close, too close –_

_“Good Cop, I have to admit, you’re stronger than I thought, taking your punishment like that. Just for that, you know what? Take a reward. Bring Bad Cop back here, we have things to talk about.”_

_What? For maybe a solid thirty seconds I just state at him, incapable of comprehension. I hurt, all over, but there’s no way I’m going to just stand down now. He stares me down, fingers casually caressing the belt, threat implicit._

Let me out Good, you’re going to earn yourself another punishment!  
You can’t handle that kind of pain idiot, let me take care of you!  
GOOD!

_My head aches almost as much as my back but there’s a stupid, stupid feeling of pride growing in me. Bad Cop can’t get out. He can’t convince me, can’t make me waver and it’s keeping him stuck. Safe, or as safe as I can make him, it doesn’t matter, pain doesn’t matter-_

_A hand touches our hair, lifts our head up almost gently. Lord Business looks at me, calm, assessing, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that look._

_Bad Cop starts to panic._

Let me out, let me out! He’s going to do something and we’re not going to like it just let me out I can deal with him Good! Trust me you idiot we’re not going to like it-

_“Man you’re a tough guy bud, I’m just gonna have to let you sit a while I guess. Yeah, I like that idea! Robots, get out of here.” Lord Business smirks and leans close, yanking hard on my hair. “Sit tight, alright pals? I’m just going to… have a talk with dear ol’ Ma and Pa.”_

_My jaw drops, everything freezing for a moment, before everything’s a frenzy, Bad’s hammering at the wall dividing us, keeping him out of control. “You leave them alone!”_

_“Oh, now you’re giving orders too? Definitely in need of some quiet time. You two have fun here in the dark, maybe you’ll learn your lesson. Got to respect your superiors, pal. I’ll be back later, this conversation could take a while after all there’s just … so much to say. So much I know you haven’t told them.” There’s a disgusting smirk on his face, smug and malicious and he starts to walk away._

_Oh no no no nonononono I can’t separate my dread from Bad’s, his anxiety, mine who can even tell-_

“S-sir please ye do nae have to do that, ‘m here, please, ‘m sorry it took so long Good Cop’s lost it, please Sir!” I struggle, rocking back and forth, doing anything and everything to try and wiggle the cuffs loose, but it’s hopeless. They’re not budging and neither am I.

“Oh  _there_  you are, Bad Cop, decided to pay attention to me after all? Unfortunately pal, you know how I work. No take backs when it comes to punishment. Don’t worry! I’ll be back soon and then we can finish up here, okay? Great! See you in a while.”

“SIR-!” I call after him, but he slams the door shut, and a minute later the lights power off, leaving us alone in the dark. “SIR!”

A scream of frustration tears itself from my throat, sounding more like the call of some wild animal than a person.

“You brickin’ EEJIT!” I shout at Good Cop. “Why the HELL did ye have to provoke him! We could have gotten out of this!”  
 _“Gotten out of this? Bad are ye BLIND? He just beat our back bloody!”  
_ “So he gave us a bit o’ the lash, tha’s nothin’! If ye’d have listened to me it wouldn’t ‘ave even hurt ye!”  
 _“That’s not the point! That’s not the point at all, it would have hurt_ you,  _you bloody dope! And don’t you dare tell me ye woulda liked it, we both know that’s a bloody lie!”  
_ “No I would nae have liked it but it would ‘ave been better than lettin’ ye get hurt, it wouldn’t have mattered if it was me and now he’s off tellin’ our parents –“  
 _“WHAT DOES IT MATTER WHAT HE’S GOING TO TELL THEM? DID YOU FORGET HE ALREADY USED THE KRAGLE ON THEM?! It can’t get much worse than that for them and OF COURSE  it matters if he hurt you, Bad! He’s not supposed to hurt you!”_

The shout sends me reeling, almost literally, as we fall off the stool – I jump and slip, end up swinging by my wrists and struggling for purchase on the blood slicked floor. By the time we’ve got our footing back everything hurts even more, there’s more blood dripping from, brick, everywhere it feels like, and we’re both too tired to keep arguing. It’s pitch black, no light to even give our eyes a chance at adjusting and now that we’re not screaming at each other there’s just silence.

Just the sound of our own breathing and the occasional  _plip plop_  as a drop of our blood hits the floor. Plip. Plop.

Sides aches, back ached, breathing hurt. Slow breaths, deep, in, hold it, out.

Plip. Plop.

Getting harder to keep my eyes open, I think the blood’s starting to dry. Good Cop’s silent in the back of our mind, anxious, worried.

Plip. Plop.

… … Plop.

Brick! It’s so quiet. Can’t see, can’t hear anything but that forsaken dripping. It almost sounds… louder.

It’s not, no reason for it to be, but still… I force my eyes open, wince because one’s definitely swelling up, and shake my head roughly. Imagining things, that’s all. The sounds not getting louder, I can even sort of… watch it fall. The blood that is, watch it drip from face down into the dark. Heh.

It’s too dark to even see it hit the floor. Dark, quiet, with only the sound of my heartbeat for company. Good’s still quiet. Thinking. Fretting. What’s he got to fret about? Lord Business isn’t telling our parents all about his – about his –

My cheeks burn and I can’t bring myself to finish the thought. Not here, not in the dark, I want him to be lying, just another game, another awful game he’s making me play for not being able to keep Good under control. I can’t predict Lord Business, never could, doubt I ever will.

It’s so darned quiet.

“Good?” Voice comes out a rasp, I hadn’t even realizes my throat was so dry. Don’t need to speak at all to talk to him but – it’s too quiet. Talk to me. Please.

“’m sorry for callin’ ye an eejit, did nae mean it, I was just… worried. Angry, is all.” Please talk to me.

I don’t know if it’s the words or the plea that catch his attention but a second later our mouth is moving, pulled into a soft frown.

_“I know that buddy, it’s okay. I’m not mad just… thinkin’. Wonderin’ how we’ll get out of this.”_

I frown, the fear starting to recede a bit now that the silence is broken, and I’m just confused. “What do ye mean, how we’ll get out of this? Same as always – when Lord Business is done punishin’ us.”

Our chest tightens up for a minute, Good Cop drawing a harsh breath and regretting it, wincing and coughing as it makes something in our chest twinge sharply.  _“Bad… this isn’t a punishment. He’s torturing us!”_

No it’s not. Torture for Master Builders, for the criminals we bring in who just won’t talk. This is just punishment, for messing up and being disobedient. Don’t be ridiculous Good.

There’s an explosive sigh.  _“Bad, he told us to Kragle our parents! Our parents, who are innocent people, followin’ the instructions. That’s not right.”_

“He gave the order. That  _makes_ it right,” Duh.

_“Not if his orders are wrong.” Frustration._

“How can the order be wrong if he’s giving them?” Annoyance.

_Ye can’t torture people_ just  _because he says so! They’re our parents, Bad.  
_ Ye fine with torturin’ people if ‘justice’ is okay with it. I know they’re our parents Good, but … these things happen.  
 _How can ye just dismiss this? I know ye love our parents as much as I do!  
_ Of course I do, but there’s nothin’ we can do. Lord Business’ given the order an’ he’s used the darned thing already! All we can do is keep movin’ forward.  
 _Or we can refuse to attack our parents that way! That’s somethin’ we could do!_  
And then Lord Business would use the Kragle on US and he’d be right too. We’ve got a job an’ he gave us our orders. This whole things my fault, I shouldn’t ‘ave lost my cool, then ye would have never gotten out an’ I could have taken the punishment and none of this would have happened.

_Not for the first time, I’m wishing we had different bodies. Then I could punch him in the face or at least smack Bad upside the back of the head. It’s like talking to a brick wall. Brick, it’s one thing to be doing this as part of the job or when it’s in a bloody book but this is BAD! How the hell do I make him see how completely bonkers he sounds?_

_I kick out in frustration and let out a curse as my feet slip out from under me, my back protesting the stupid impulsive move by beginning to drip blood all over again. I feel tears pooling and scrunch my eyes – dried blood crunches under my eyelids and I shudder, want to scream. It’s hopeless. Why did I have to realize this_ now  _why not weeks ago, months ago – I don’t even know when this started._

_What kind of person am I? Why didn’t I see that the literal_ other half of my soul  _was getting twisted up by an abusive monster?_

_The dripping starts again._

_Plip. Plop._

_Plip. Plop._

_Silence, save for that forsaken dripping._

_Neither one of us wanting to say a word. I don’t know what to say. I want to scream or hit something, preferably Business, but hell I’d even kick a chair around like Bad does._

_It’s too quiet. Quiet, quiet, and… is that thumping? What is that? It’s not stopping, but there’s no one in the room but me and Bad, he’s not making it, he’s as tense as I am, he’s demanding I let him have control so he can kick it or threaten it._

_Thump, ba-thump, thump thump._

_Thump thump thump, just hammering in my ears, feels like it’s just beating through my body and oh._

_I chuckle to myself and try to pretend it doesn’t sound a little hysterical._

_It’s our heart beat. Of course it is, silly me, silly us. Just our heart beating, it’s good, that’s good, reminds us we’re alive._

_Alive here in the dark… I shake my head at the thought, we’re fine, we’re fine, we’re fine, there’s nothing to freak out about. Bad’s the one who hates the quiet, not me. It’s fine. We’re okay._

_I close my eyes. The darkness doesn’t change but at least it feels like it’s under our control now. We’re fine._

_There’s a faint whooshing sound, a few more drips and plops. I do my best to ignore it, try to keep my breathing under control to quell the panic. We’re fine, we’re fine._

_“Boo.”_

_“AIIIIIIIEEEEE!” I shriek, he shrieks, hell maybe we’re both doing the screaming._

I jerk my eyes open, not that it helps all that much, it’s too bloody dark, my hearts jackhammering in my chest, blood roaring in my ears.

He’s laughing. It’s a familiar sound and panic starts to die away, even as he lights the flames on that blasted helmet, giving us some light.

Lord Business of course, looking right amused with his little joke. Good’s sputtering in the back of our head but I can’t help but relax. Anything’s better than it just being the two of us stuck in the dark and Lord Business is better than anything.

“Bad Cop, I see you haven’t lost that little fear of yours,” he chuckles, “But good to see you back in control! Man, your parents are just great people, really I can see how you turned out so great. But what’s the fun in just telling you how it was? Come on, tell me what you think. I bet you’ve been thinking about it, come on tell me!”

“I- I don’t know, Sir,” I mumble, “Somethin’ about our …relations?” I can’t bring myself to say anything else, even though I  _know_ I’ll have to.

His arm slides around my shoulder, I hadn’t even noticed him getting closer. With the suit, he’s able to stand taller than me, and he leans down to laugh softly in my ear. “Now now Bad Cop, you know that’s not what I’m asking. Details man, what do you think I would have told them first? That was a punishment, remember…”

Was trying to forget that, actually. Instantly my thoughts flash to just a few memories, things he could have told them, and a hot flush steals over my face.

“Oh! You thought of something good, didn’t you? Now come on, tell me.”

“Th-the time ye h-had me suck ye off d-during a meeting,” I manage to suggest, clenching my eyes shut. The dark isn’t quiet anymore, isn’t lonely with Lord Business right against me. Perfectly find to close my eyes and wish the Earth’d hurry up and swallow me whole.

“Ha! Good one, but no, you lucked out on that one bud. Hit me with another.”

I’m so bricking glad I’m not looking at him. “I- Er, the t-time after that first raid on the master builders… when ye struck me down wi’ me own gun and ordered me to fuck ye right there in the blood and muck,” is what comes out of my mouth. I remember it clear as day, some seven years ago when the Master Builders ad finally learned to fear us, to start hiding instead of openly fighting back. My face must be as red as my hair by this point, and Good’s sputtering in the back of our head, almost as flustered.

“Oh~ oh that was a good memory, wasn’t it? Nope, it wasn’t that one either though. Come one, I’ll give you one more try.” His hand starts stroking the sides of my neck, his grip not quite large enough to cover the whole thing with just the one hand. “You’re turning awfully red buddy, you  _that_ embarrassed?”

“I- Sir, th-that is, I just, um… yes Sir. S-sorry Sir,” I drop my head, eyes still closed. I hear that warm, amused chuckle again before he gives my neck a warning squeeze, just enough to remind me where we are, what’s happening. My thoughts scramble as I try to think of what he might’ve told them, what could be worse than either of those. We’ve done a great many, many things I’d never want me mummy and daddy to know of.

There’s only one other thing I can think of and by the man upstairs I hope it’s not it. “I-it would nae have been that ye told them o’ the t-time ye put us on speaker p-phone for t-the board while we were, were…” I can’t quite finish the sentence, feels like my blush has spread all the way down to my toes.  Long fingers start to play with the ends of my hair.

“We were…? What, what were we doing, Bad Cop? Details man!”

“We were… having sex, Sir. I-in yer office.” I flinch, wait for him to reject the idea, wait for him to confirm it, wait for anything, except… laughter?

“Haha ha, man I didn’t tell them any of that! Guess we should be glad I didn’t make you go out and talk to them hm? Wouldn’t want them realizing their son is such a nasty pervert, wow I cannot believe you spent all that time thinking about those things!”

_“What the brick is wrong with you?” I snarl, finally snapping and losing all sense of calm. I was furious, with myself for not thinking he might be playing such a trick, with him for being such a bricked up monster. “Ye torture us and leave us alone in the brickin’ dark, taunt Bad with all the awful things you’ve always threatened to reveal and then you throw it all in his face like it’s a joke? **What kind of sick monster are you?!”**_

_Lord Business snarls and the arm I’d forgotten was around our neck tightened, threatening to cut off my air supply. I kept glaring, beyond giving even a single brick._

_“What kind of monster am I?” He repeats, drawing away from us, eyes narrow with fury and his face turning red. “The kind that’s **president of the entire** **world!”**_

_He backhands me without another word and I spit a mouthful of blood and saliva at him, teeth bared in a bloody grimace. “Ye said ye could get rid of me,” I taunt, “Well look at me! Ye’ve done all this and right torturing me ye have and **I’m. Still. Here**.”_

_For a moment everything is still, as if my retort had hit some strange pause button. Then Lord Business starts to laugh again, full of cold fury and amusement._

_“What do you know? You’re right about that Good Cop, you’re totally right. You know, I almost wish you’d shown this angry streak of yours earlier. Maybe I would have liked you ore.”_

_I open my mouth to argue and he shuts me up with a slap – this time with the belt. I can’t suppress a yelp of pain, falling silent._

_“Not now, no interrupting your betters, Good Cop. Come now, you should still have_ some  _manners. Now where was I? Ah yes, the biggest question of them all: **why are you here?**  You’re still here, Good Cop because I’m not done with you yet. No you earned yourself a nice, long punishment for being a pain in my side, for distracting my second in command, for being well… yourself. And I thought long and hard about it, how do I get rid of you? Can’t get rid of Bad Cop after all,  **he’s** the one of you worth my time and you’re pretty darn stuck to him. Sure, at first it was fine, the two of you working together were a fine team, turning in all kinds of good work… torturing master builders, melting them into slag, dragging them to the think-tank – great stuff! But well, things change. You weren’t just an annoyance, no you’ve actually managed to make yourself an obstacle in my path. And you know what I do to those.”_

_He actually paused, as if waiting for me to answer. I spat at him again, this time catching him square in the face._

_“I do nae give a brick about yer darned_ monologuing,  ** _Sir_** _, so I kindly ask that ye get to yer brickin’ point!”_

_“Why you little – heh, you want me to get to the point? Alright then, here it is!” He stomps forward and I can’t help but flinch back a little, kicking my feet and struggling as he reaches up and grabs me back the back of my hair with one hand. There’s a harsh yank and he’s got my head tilted back, baring my throat and it’s only the uncertain hope that he wouldn’t kill Bad just to get rid of me that keeps me from screaming._

_The flames on his helmet flare up higher, lighting up his face some kind of demon straight from the Abyss. “Now hold still,” he purrs, “This is going to hurt. A_ lot.”

_There’s a sudden, sharp pressure against the top of my head and I stiffen with fear, closing my eyes. The pressure gets stronger, I can feel blood start to drip and then there’s only pain, and I scream, feeling the blade tear its way down my face and over my eye, a continuous line of pain. Blood starts to flow, not just a slow drip anymore but a hot, steady flow down my face. It’s not just pain, no it stings and aches and I try to jerk my head free and that just makes it hurt_ more  _as the muscles in my face pull and jerk at the cut._

_I don’t dare to open my eyes, keeping them clenched close and trying to ride out the pain. It’s the shock. It has to be the shock, because after a moment it starts to die down, less overwhelming, just another solid ache blending in with the rest of the pain our body is in._

_Slowly I become aware of a hand stroking my hair and a familiar voice murmuring nonsense and realize Bad’s not fighting me for control._

_He’s just there… in the back of our mind, radiating worry and contentment._

_The owner of the hand and voice is obvious and I clench my teeth because mixing pain and comfort is such a classic fucking strategy and I’m not here for it. I turn my head to the side and Lord Business allows it, going quiet and withdrawing his hand. He steps back and I have to strain my ears to keep hearing him, still not willing to risk opening my eyes, so I stick to my hearing, thanking the Man Upstairs that the suit wasn’t quiet by any means._

_It means I’m prepared when his hand grabs my chin, squeezing roughly and turning my head this way and that. He must be admiring his work, enjoying the fresh cut. It’s still bleeding, but I’m not too worried. Head wounds are always worse than they look, I’m more worried about my eye-_

_The pressure of the knife is back and I instinctlvely try to get away, kicking and snarling blindly. “Let me go, let me down from here and face me like a man you coward!”_

_Sharp pain cuts through my rant and I jerk my head with a yelp of pain as my mouth widens. The edge of my lip feels like it’s been torn a mile long but I know it can’t possibly be as bad as it feels. Blood fills my mouth and I spit it out, almost retching when some of it slides down my throat, hot and thick, coppery. Drinking my own blood, he’s got me drinking my own blood-_

_I’m still lost in the pain of the second cut when he makes the third, this one slashing across the bridge of my nose, exactly where my glasses would usually sit. I hear screaming and realize it must be me, but I can’t make myself stop just yet, fighting back Bad Cop, trying to hold on because he can’t come out, I have to protect him, I have to keep him safe as long as possible, no Bad stay out of this stay away-_

_There’s a comforting hand on the unmarked side of my face, and I can’t help but lean into it, hating my own weakness but needing to feel something that doesn’t hurt, just for a moment. There’s noise, but I can’t focus on it, can’t focus on anything but the roaring of blood in my heart and the frenzied pounding of my heart._

_I can’t see, I can’t see and it hurts, blood on my face, in my eyes, down my throat and dripping to the floor, and then a sob when the knife returns to my already ravaged eye and gouges another cut across it. The pain is nauseating and I’m too scared to open to try to open my eyes, terrified that the dark behind my eyelashes will be all the injured eye shows._

_Eventually I can recognize the sounds I’ve been hearing as words and the pain starts to recede again. My blood runs cold._

_“This is one of my favorite little tools, Good Cop. It’s pretty useful for all kinds of stuff, stripping finger nail polish, destroying evidence, being super painful! Acids, there’s a reason kids just love playing with this stuff in chemistry. Now hold still buddy, I promise you definitely don’t want_ this  _to spill.”_

_Acid? ACID? What he’s going to do – no, no, no, “No, no, no stop-“_

_The first drops shut me up, if only because I’m too busy screaming to make words._

_It burns, like fire in my blood and it doesn’t stop, it doesn’t stop, it burns and burns and then there’s more of it, I can feel it dropping on my flesh, straight into the lines he’s etched in my skin, burning, burning burning burning, liquid fire eating through my skin and I can hear it bubbling, hear the sickening sound of my flesh burning and bubbling over the roaring in my ears and I can’t even scream, just keep my mouth desperately closed to keep the acid from dripping inside from eating me from the inside out it burns!_

_It hurts more than anything I’ve ever felt, unending pain and I’m sure, sure there won’t be anything left, just holes eaten through flesh he’s going to kill us this is going to kill us but I stay._

It hurts, it hurts like nothing else, been shot, kicked, beaten, burned and smashed up and down by explosions and nothing hurts like this, unending hell here in the dark and this is just the bleed through. Good you stubborn bastard let me out! Let me do this, I’m the one who takes the pain!

He doesn’t listen and I can’t keep fighting him it hurts too much, can’t concentrate, can’t breathe can’t feel can’t hear, alone in the dark just the two of us screaming in pain feels like it goes on forever.

_The pain’s starting to fade it’s not supposed to do that, has it eaten through our nerves that quick? It hurts… has it been that quick? Maybe it’s been forever …_

_Hard to think hard to feel no no gotta stay in control, got to protect Bad, oh but it feels so nice. To just… let it slip away…_

The pain hits twice as hard suddenly and I scream and curse but the pain is just physical it hurts but no, something hurts worse, something’s missing, tore a hole in me.

Good! Good, answer me answer me don’t leave me alone!

There’s something cool pressed to my face, wet and insistent, scrubbing, it hurts it hurts, but it not as much as before, less than the acid, but still, it’s too much, too much and I whimper wordlessly.

Good, Good, please….

I drop suddenly before someone catches me, my hands adding a new ache, pins and needles like someone’s burrowing their way inside, inside where it’s empty, I’m empty.

Something cool is spread over my face, cuts and burns going blissfully numb, relief making me sob. A familiar voice barks orders and cold, hard hands lift my head, winds something thin – cloth, bandages? Around my head, over my eye before pushing me over to my side and starting to do the same to my back.

Eventually I manage to open my right eye, the left covered in too much padding and aching even through the pain-killers enough that I don’t even try it.

The lights are on, one of the robot nurses winding bandages around my torso and Lord Business watching me, his hands on my shoulders, holding me steady. I stare at him blankly, pain-glazed and empty.

“You’re dismissed,” He tells the robot curtly and it leaves through the open door. I tilt my head after it, dazedly looking out the door. There’s light in here, light that’s not just coming from Lord Business’ helmet.

“You with me, buddy?”

I look up slowly, raising my eyes to meet his. It takes a minute for the words to register.

“Y-yes Sir,” I manage to say somehow, tongue heavy.

“Good, excellent, great. I’m sorry I had to do that pal, but it was for your own good. And I knew you’d pull through, you’re too tough not too.” His hand cards through my hair, pats my bandaged cheek gently and he stands, pulling me to my feet. I wobble for a moment, before I manage to catch myself, body swaying slightly.

“Here, let’s get these back on you,” Lord Business mumbles to himself, before turning back to me. It’s a jacket, one of my spares. I just stand there as he manipulates my limbs, pulling and tugging the leather until it’s on my body and zipped up the way it’s supposed to be.

I don’t react.

It’s too quiet. It’s too quiet and I feel empty. My head hurts and it has nothing to do with the burns and cuts covering my face. I reach up on impulse, toughing my lips. My fingers come away, sticky and wet. Alone.

“Bad Cop. Bad Cop! Listen to me when I’m talking to you. Come on buddy, you did such a good job coming through your punishment, don’t mess up now.”

Not alone. Numbness fades quickly and I shake my head, ignore the pain and aches, “N-no sir, I’m sorry sir,” Please don’t stop talking, please don’t leave me alone, I did just what you wanted, made it through the punishment and I’m still here and he’s not.

You were right sir. He was too weak.

I don’t say the words though and he doesn’t ask, just starts for the door. I follow him, struggling to keep pace even as every muscle and wound protests. Wounds seen too yes, healed no.

I don’t care.

“Son?”

I turn my head slowly, watch my mum and dad’s faces fall, watch horror and shock spread. I look away, to Lord Business.

He holds out a remote. “I’ve wasted a lot of time on you, Bad Cop. Now why don’t you push the button and prove it was time well spent? Or are you just as much of a failure as the other one was?”

“Son!”

I take the remote, look it over. I reach slowly into the jacket pocket, and feel no surprise when my fingers close on cool plastic. I pull out the aviators and slip them on with slow purpose.

Turn my head, look at my parents.

“Sorry Dad. ‘ve got a job to do.”


End file.
